This invention relates to cheese-like products and to a method for direct fabrication of such products.
Imitation cheese products have been produced from a variety of protein sources such as cottage cheese curd, milk solids, skim milk solids and the like. In many instances the above protein sources have been combined with minor amounts of the cheese being simulated and act as an extender therefor.
In recent years, alkali or alkaline earth metal caseinates, which are valuable sources of protein, also have been used in the production of process cheese products as is illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,374 to Bell et al. However, such caseinates sometimes possess an objectionable odor and flavor which can override the intended flavor of the product food products.
Some relatively bland caseinates have been produced by heating a casein solution with an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal salt in a manner which causes coagulation of the protein. The resulting coagulum is separated from a continuous liquid phase, and, after washing, is a substantially bland alkali or alkaline earth metal caseinate. Sodium caseinate, calcium caseinate and sodium-calcium caseinate have been employed heretofore for the production of simulated process cheese products. Nevertheless, a number of problems are inherent in the use of such materials. For example, in some instances sodium caseinate is unsatisfactory in imitation cheese products because such imitation cheese products have a tendency toward burning and puffing if baked or toasted, for example, on pizzas or on open-faced, toasted sandwiches. However, caseinates are often used as extenders in simulated dairy products so that smaller amounts of the more expensive natural ingredient can be utilized in the product.
Another drawback of caseinates is that they are relatively expensive and tend to develop objectionable flavors and odors.
Wet mass rennet casein (e.g., cottage cheese curd) has also been used to manufacture cheese products; however, it is a perishable item and suffers from the problems of spoilage, inconvenient handling and storage.
German Patent Publication (Offenlegungsschrift) No. 23 42 299 discloses a cheese processing additive that can contain up to 20 weight percent of rennet casein and that can be added to crude cheese in an amount sufficient to supply 1 to 3 weight percent of rennet casein. However, the rennet casein content of this processing additive is low, and a very large amount of a phosphate salt (50 to 100 weight percent, based on weight of rennet casein) is used to produce the additive.
Accordingly, there has been a longstanding need for an inexpensive protein source which can be utilized as the principal protein source to produce a satisfactory food product and which can be used, if necessary, as the sole protein source in a cheese analog or cheese-like product. It has now been found that a non-cultured, cheese-like product can be prepared using dry, particulate rennet casein as the principal, or sole, protein source of the product, notwithstanding the known relatively low solubility of rennet casein in aqueous systems.